


Lost and Found

by TackyPenguin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: (but in a friendly way), Anakin Skywalker is a Little Shit, Comedy, Engineering, Fluff, Gen, Humor, No Angst, Teasing, adults being adorably undignified, jedi masters have surprisingly good senses of humor, this is set after Ep I but before Ep II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-16 05:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14805518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TackyPenguin/pseuds/TackyPenguin
Summary: Padawan Skywalker has misplaced a droid.





	Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to [alexofmacedonia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexofmacedonia/pseuds/alexofmacedonia) for beta reading!

It had to be there somewhere. He hurried along the dim hallway, his hood up and his face in shadow. Sure, he probably looked more suspicious this way, but he’d be harder to recognize, and he really wasn’t supposed to be on this level of the Temple. If anybody recognized him and word got back to his master—

“Anakin!”

—Oh, _poodoo_. He took a deep breath and lowered his hood as he turned to face his doom, flinching ever so slightly at the realization that Master Obi-Wan wasn’t alone.

“Hello, Master!” His attempt at jovial nonchalance came out a little high pitched, and he paused to clear his throat as he bowed to the three adult Jedi sitting in the corner of the meditation alcove. “Master Windu. Master Yoda.”

“Young Padawan Skywalker.” Master Windu crossed his arms, his features set in a disapproving frown.

Master Yoda subtly shifted his grasp on his gimer stick. “Expecting you, we were not!” he said. Anakin eyed him warily.

Master Obi-Wan just closed his eyes and sighed. “Anakin,” he said again, in that particular tone which meant Anakin was in deep trouble. “Since I’m relatively certain you’re supposed to be attending your physics lesson right now, would you care to explain exactly why you’re here, haring about on a level which — as I know you’re aware — is prohibited to Padawans, instead of in your classroom, paying rapt attention to Master Sifosi’s instruction?”

Anakin shuffled nervously. “Well, you see, I was, Master,” he said. Obi-Wan opened his eyes and arched a disbelieving eyebrow.

“Okay, I mean, I wasn’t,” Anakin said. “But I _was_ working on my physics coursework!” Master Windu exhaled through his nose in a sound that wasn’t quite a snort.

“All right,” Anakin admitted. “So I wasn’t _exactly_ working on my coursework. But I _was_ using physics! Uh. Sort of?”

“ _Anakin_.”

“Um.” Master Yoda’s fingers had started tapping ominously on the handle of his gimer stick. Funny — Anakin had never noticed until just now exactly how _long_ the old Jedi’s claws were. He swallowed nervously.

“Well,” he said, “I _may_ , a little bit, have been programming a droid.” He twisted his fingers anxiously together behind his back. Master Obi-Wan buried his face in his hands. It made his bangs stick up kind of funny, Anakin thought.

“Of course you were programming a droid,” said Obi-Wan. It came out rather muffled. “How silly of me to have assumed otherwise. Certainly I ought to have expected nothing else, such as, for example, that you were attending the physics class in which you are enrolled and to which you personally assured me you would show up. No. You were programming a droid.” He was starting to sound slightly hysterical, at least as much as Anakin could tell through Master Obi-Wan’s palms.

Anakin felt his insides twist guiltily. “I was using physics, though, honest!” he protested. “I was programming it for locomotion! That’s all movement stuff, it uses physics!”

Master Windu’s left eye twitched. Anakin tried not to stare.

“Except,” he continued, looking down and scuffing one foot on the floor, “I guess I probably should have finished some of the other programming first, because, it, uh. Locomoted away?”

“Your droid. Locomoted. Away.” Master Windu’s voice was really deep, Anakin noticed.

“Um, yes sir, Master Windu,” he confirmed. “And I was chasing after it, because I— because I didn’t want it to bother anybody! But I guess I, uh. Lost it?”

He chanced another look at the three masters. Master Windu’s mouth was pressed tightly into a line; Master Yoda’s expression was as inscrutable as ever; and Master Obi-Wan’s head was still buried in his hands — and were his shoulders shaking? Anakin’s own shoulders slumped dejectedly. He was going to be in so much trouble!

He fixed his gaze on the floor. “I tracked it as far as this level,” he tried to explain, “so I was trying to find it before I got c— before it got into trouble! But, uh. I guess you found me before I found it.”

Anakin took a deep breath and looked up at his master, trying to arrange his features into the most suitably repentant expression he could manage. He wasn’t sure it made much difference, as Master Obi-Wan probably couldn’t see him through his hands anyway. “I’m very sorry for leaving class. And also for, um, not paying attention in class. And for being on this level where I’m not allowed. Even though I would probably do it again,” he quietly admitted, gripping the hems of his sleeves. He caught sight of Master Yoda’s silent stare. “But I’ll try not to!” he hastily continued.

“Padawan Skywalker,” said Master Windu, “I strongly suggest you return to your class. Master Yoda and I will discuss with your master what course of action might be an appropriate response to your behavior.”

Oh no. Anakin gulped. “Yes, master,” he said, bowing. Then he hesitated. “Um. About my droid…”

“Found, your droid will be,” Master Yoda chimed in. “Concern yourself further with its whereabouts, you must not.” He nodded sagely as Anakin’s heart sank.

“Yes, Master Yoda,” he agreed reluctantly. Heaving a deep sigh, Anakin bowed once more, then turned and trudged back up the hallway. It was just his luck, he thought, to be discovered and sent back to his lessons — _boring_ physics lessons! — and without even catching his droid.

—————

The three Jedi sat motionless for several minutes after the Padawan was out of sight. Then, when they were sure he was out of earshot, Obi-Wan let his hands drop to his lap, revealing tears of mirth trailing down his cheeks. Mace’s stern expression cracked into a broad grin as he started to chuckle. Yoda let out a giggle, ears twitching.

“Full of unexpected surprises, is your young Padawan,” he said. He levered himself upright with the help of his gimer stick. “And quite the droid he has built!” He stumped over and retrieved the unfortunate droid from behind Mace’s meditation cushion, where it had lain hidden. “Well constructed, it is,” he nodded, and handed it to Mace for inspection.

“Thank you for not throwing it at my face this time,” Mace said drily. He peered at the droid’s dozen or so multi-jointed appendages, prodding at one with a finger. “That must be some sophisticated locomotion programming, the way all these were moving so smoothly and in sync. Did he build this from scratch?”

“He did,” Obi-Wan confirmed, wiping his eyes. “He’s been building it in our living room for the past few tendays.” He shook his head fondly. “I’m so looking forward to having it scuttling at high speed around our quarters, too,” he joked.

“Up a level, you ought to have Skywalker moved,” Yoda said to Obi-Wan. “In physics, excellent his marks are.”

“Mmhmm,” Mace agreed, still fiddling with the little droid. “If he’s earning good marks and still has enough time during class to program droids to accidentally ambush unsuspecting Jedi masters during meditation sessions, he needs more of a challenge. Something more engaging for him.”

“Actually,” Obi-Wan admitted, “I’ve already submitted the paperwork requesting just that. I do hope my request is approved quickly — I’m not sure how many more of these sort of surprises I can handle!”

The droid’s legs suddenly began waving madly in the air as Mace located the power switch. Obi-Wan jumped, startled. “Ah, there we go,” said Mace. He turned it back off and handed it to Obi-Wan, who took it gingerly and then climbed to his feet.

“I’d better take this back to our quarters,” said Obi-Wan. He looked thoughtful. “I think I’ll tell Anakin that it just showed up there, and that I have no idea how. He’ll probably want to pick apart his code to see if he somehow accidentally programmed it to return home without realizing it. It’ll be good practice for him.”

“Out of trouble, it may also keep him,” said Yoda shrewdly. “For a little while, at least!”

"Yes, I do hope so!” agreed Obi-Wan, and bowed in farewell. “Thank you, masters, for this exceedingly interesting meditation session.” With that he exited the alcove.

—————

**_Earlier..._ **

A deep, peaceful silence blanketed the meditation alcove. Without the clatter of Padawans racing through the halls, the air in this part of the temple lay still, stirred only by the slow, gentle breaths of the three Jedi seated on the alcove’s cushions.  Mace, sitting in the corner, had a faint smile on his usually stern face, and Obi-Wan’s expression was perfectly serene. Yoda’s long, expressive ears were relaxed, his gimer stick lying on the floor by his cushion.

Then Yoda’s ears began to twitch, and Mace’s brow furrowed. Obi-Wan’s eyes blinked open.

“Do you hear...?” Obi-Wan began to ask before trailing off, listening intently. Coming from down the hallway was a faint skittering noise.

“Yes,” agreed Mace, tilting his head to hear better. The sound was growing swiftly louder, the rapid tapping of metal against tile. “Whatever it is, it’s coming this way.”

It rounded the corner at speed: a small, many-legged droid, appendages working furiously in perfect synchronization. It scuttled haphazardly into the alcove, losing no momentum as it tripped over the gimer stick, flipped up into the air, and landed on its back in Yoda’s lap, legs wriggling.

Yoda let out an undignified yelp and flung it away, straight at Mace’s head. Mace, who was caught by surprise, fumbled unsuccessfully for it, knocking it down behind his meditation cushion. To the surprise of the three Jedi, it lay quiet and still there where it had fallen.

“A deactivation switch you must have hit,” Yoda had just suggested, when they heard rapid footsteps approaching. He seized his gimer stick as though to defend against further surprise attacks.

“A biped, this time,” Mace noted. They all turned towards the hallway just in time to see a short figure, cloaked and hooded, rushing past the alcove. Obi-Wan groaned internally as recognition hit. Just what was his handful of a Padawan up to now?

“Anakin!” he yelled, stopping his student in his tracks. The apprentice lowered his hood as he turned to face them, flinching at being caught in the act of— well, whatever it was he’d been up to.

Oh, this was going to be good.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and kudos are snuggled, saved, reread, and altogether appreciated. :)


End file.
